One thing we’ve found helpful during December is to celebrate Saint Nicholas. There are lots of lovely story books out there about him, and his story is a combination of fact and myth. What I love is that our traditions of gift giving and specifically Father Christmas are linked to him. I really like this … Read more
Make your own nativity scene using lollysticks, paper, glue and pencils Glue 4 or 5 lolly sticks together to create a house. If you use 5, you can make a pointed roof. To make this fast, you could use a glue gun (You can get cool ones for children to use too).Next glue a piece … Read more
Bake jam tarts or cookies using an angel-shaped cutter and give them to a friend, neighbour or a delivery person. If appropriate, offer to pray for them, including a prayer that God will bring them good news, just like the angels brought good news at the first Christmas. You might like to read the Christmas … Read more
Make clay ornaments with words of blessing on to give to people as ornaments. You could write or stamp words that describe blessings, which you pray God will give them, such as courage, peace, joy, strength. We made these and hung them from a little tree in our hall. Any time a visitor came to … Read more
If you’re looking for a nativity set which can be played with, one good way to get one is to make one together. Peg dolls make simple people to which you can add as much or as little as you choose. I usually opt to leave faces blank or just draw on eyes with a … Read more
Make your own wrapping paper, keep it environmentally friendly and use it to pray for and bless the people who will unwrap it! Use an angel-shaped cookie cutter to print paint over a large sheet of paper. You could also make Christmas cards and gift tags in the same way. Chat about what the angels … Read more
Author: Madeleine L’Engle Illustrator: Frescoes by Giotto Published by: Simon and Schuster Available second-hand from sellers on Amazon and Abebooks “Possible things are easy to believe. The Glorious Impossibles are what bring joy to our hearts, hope to our lives, song to our lips.” Good for: Families with children aged 7—14 and adults who like … Read more
I love paper decorations. I can recycle them after the season instead of storing them and it gives my family a chance to have fun making them each year. Discuss: What do angels look like? Do they have wings? Are they male or female? Can angels be children? Do they have swords? Discussing these questions … Read more
Title: Jesus was a Refugee Written by: Andrew McDonough Series: Lost Sheep Books Published by: Sarah Grace Publishing Price: £5.99 Buy from: Malcolm Down Publishing Useful for: parents of children age 3-10 years old Best bit: Beautiful re-telling in the first person – Jesus and Joseph write their own story, explaining how they had to escape … Read more
Title: Bethlehem Town Written by: Andrew McDonough Series: Lost Sheep Books Published by: Sarah Grace Publishing Price: £5.99 Buy from: Malcolm Down Publishing Useful for: parents of children ages 3-10 years old Best bit: The fun, quirky, colourful pictures and well-rhyming text, describes the birth of Jesus taking place in a house, which from what I’ve … Read more
This year, I’ve been wondering about The Star. I love decorating my house with story-themed decorations and this year is going to be stars, so I wanted to spend some time reading and exploring this part of the Christmas story in Matthew 2:1-15. So I started with this question: What do you notice in this story? … Read more
These cute little books are a fab way to explore Bible stories from the perspective of a character in the story. This could be one of the main characters or someone who observed, one of the crowd or the family of the ‘main protagonist’. Thinking about what they saw and heard, what they might have … Read more